Search Results for: Godwin

A Taste of the 2014 Culinary Classic

September 16, 2014 by arfoodie 9 Comments

Sweetbreads and pork belly by Arturo Solis of the Capital Hotel took top honors at the AHA Culinary Classic. More details on awards to come.

Sweetbreads and pork belly by Arturo Solis of the Capital Hotel took top entree honors at the AHA Culinary Classic.

Last night I had the privilege of helping judge the Culinary Classic at the Arkansas Hospitality Association’s 70th annual Convention and Trade Show. (SEVENTY years!)

If you’ve read my blog for any time, you know that this conference is my favorite thing all year. The Culinary Classic kicks things off with a bang!

As a huge fan of seafood, some of my favorite dishes included Dungeness crab. I like seafood so much that a friend of mine who lives in San Francisco has even promised to take me out for the best crab in san francisco. There is just something about the salty sweetness of crab based dishes that pulls me in.

Anyway, the AHA Culinary Classic is an annual event, always held the night before the trade show begins. Chefs from across the state gather in the Statehouse Convention Center to offer their best plates to judges (I was one for entrees) and to those who bought tickets to the tasting-style event. It’s always full of surprises, both from innovative new plates and from new chefs to the event and community. If you missed it, be sure to buy a ticket next year and join us.

Award winners:

Soup/Salad

1^st Jason Godwin, Acxiom – Sopa Azteca

2^nd Jason Knapp, Green Leaf Grill – Thai spiced sweet potato soup

3^rd Adam Hanry, Camp Mitchell – Purple pea soup

Appetizer

1^st Micheal Mayer, LR Marriott – Crab and smoke gouda stuffed tempura shrimp

2^nd Jason Knapp, Green Leaf Grill – Three see seared salmon

3^rd Matthew Cooper, Cache – Dungeness crab cakes

Entrée

1^st Arturo Solis, Capital Hotel – Sweet breads

2^nd Stephen Burrow, Clinton Presidential Center – Korean BBQ veal ribs

3^rd Jason Knapp, Green Leaf Grill – Pan seared filet of beef

Dessert

1^st Jason Godwin, Acxiom – Curry roasted fruit tart

2^nd Adam Hanry, Camp Mitchell – Animal crackers

3^rd Lauren Creel, LR Marriott – Deconstructed peanut butter and jelly

People’s Choice

Adam Hanry, Purple Pea Soup

Best of Beef

Stephen Burrow, Korean BBQ veal ribs

Hiland Pride Award

Matthew Cooper, Dungeness crab cakes

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Bake Sale Results, Cheese-Off, and a Helena Pop-Up

May 9, 2014 by arfoodie 2 Comments

Arkansas Blogger Bake Sale Results

I am happy to report that, as of this writing, we are hovering around the $2,600 mark for this year’s Arkansas Blogger Bake Sale for No Kid Hungry!

While we’re a little shy of our $3,000 goal, it’s still a great haul, and it’s more than we raised last year. Many, many thanks to our committee members, volunteers, bakers, donors and everyone involved!

If you’d still like to help, I’m not closing our sale until next Friday, May 16. You can donate cash directly to No Kid Hungry at this link, and it will credit to our fundraiser. Share with your friends and co-workers!

(One day soon I’ll tell the side-story for that day…short version: I stepped out for a couple hours to hang out with MC Hammer, for business reasons.)

Get Cheesed Off: Pimento Cheese Competition and Tasting

While at the sale, the PR Maven at Salesforce dropped by to pick up some goodies and tell us about some goings on this weekend. Every year, the day before Mother’s Day, the museum holds an awesome event, the Territorial Fair. (Seriously, if you have kids — or even if you don’t — you have to go!)

This year, they are adding an even more savory element: A pimento cheese competition. Oh my word.

Competitors include Dizzy’s Gypsy Bistro, Hillcrest Artisan Meats and Capital Hotel Bar and Grill. Visitors to the Territorial Fair can sample all the pimento cheese entries from 1 to 4 p.m., voting for a People’s Choice award to be given at the end of the day.

The Territorial Fair and the Pimento Cheese-Off are free. Historic Arkansas Museum is located at 200 E. Third Street in Little Rock.

The original Interstate Grocery, which was the first sponsor of the King Biscuit Time radio show. This storefront will be the location of tomorrow night’s pop-up.

It’s Sold Out, And It’s So Cool: “Interstate Grocery” Pop-Up in Helena

Saturday night, Helena will host what’s likely one of the hottest culinary tickets in the state, a night with Chefs Shane Henderson and Jason Godwin. Henderson is currently a chef with food wholesaler Ben E. Keith (but you probably remember him as the opening chef for Argenta Market), and Godwin has experience in catering and restaurants, best known as the chef proprietor of Dogtown Coffee and Cookery.

They’ll serve four courses of Delta-centric delights at this sold-out event, meant to highlight not only the foods of the region, but also the success a similar permanent restaurant might enjoy in the area. Tickets were $30.

Julia Malinowski, director of the Helena Advertising and Promotion Commission, hopes the event will bring attention to the city’s potential for a “date night” type restaurant.

“Many of our residents are traveling 45 minutes to Greenville (Miss.), where investors have opened up opportunities for several restaurants to open,” she said. “We have some people willing to invest right here in Helena in a great restaurant if just the right person comes along.”

While it’s too late to join the party this Saturday, it’s pretty much a done deal that there will be more. Watch this space for details (with more notice next time, my bad) on future events.

Judging the Arkansas Hospitality Association Culinary Classic (And Mildly Freaking Out)

September 18, 2013 by arfoodie 4 Comments

Smoked, pan-seared beef tenderloin with fondant potatoes and baby vegetables by Jason Knapp, Aramark/UCA.

Looking for the winners? Jump alllll the way down.

Yesterday, I had the amazing privilege of being on the panel of judges at the Arkansas Hospitality Association‘s annual Culinary Classic competition.

It kind of freaked me out.

I’ve had several opportunities to judge food competitions in recent years, and I’ve turned them down since going gluten-free. I didn’t want to risk bloating and bleh. But when the amazing Holly Heer of AHA offered, I was NOT going to say no. I’d figure it out.

The panel of 12 included excellent chefs such as Jason Godwin (now at Alltel) and Donnie Ferneau (formerly of Ferneau/Rocket 21, now consulting and preparing for his own new place), esteemed writers such as Kelley Bass (formerly of the Arkansas Gazette, Dem-Gaz and Arkansas Times), and industry giants such as Bob Coleman (retired from Coleman, now Hiland Dairy). What the heck was I doing here?

That’s me in the silly hot pink chef coat, waiting with the other judges before the event.

We chose what category we would judge. I figured, rightly, that entrees would be the least glutenous. Good call. But would I know enough to properly judge the hard work these chefs had put in? I knew they were sweating behind those black curtains, wondering if we would taste and appreciate everything they had done. This was a big deal for them, I knew.

Judges at the appetizer course table.

As the entrees started to come out, I slowly started to realize that I may know a thing or two after all. My fellow judges and I discussed some of the hits and misses of each dish. Because of my excellent education at Pulaski Tech (and probably a good bit from Good Eats and my own experience), I was able to describe the tiny “just off” things the other judges and I noticed in these otherwise spectacular dishes: A dish that was smoked but maybe should have been braised. A piece of beef that would have benefited from a different cutting method. An overcooked fond that created a slightly bitter pan sauce.

I should clarify that these were minor errors of technique, mere landing hops in the culinary olympiad that separated the winners from the others. I want all the participants in the Culinary Classic to know that this was a very hard job, one that we all took seriously. Each dish was stellar and a joyous representation of the culinary talent in our state.

But I came away more confident, knowing that I knew good technique when I saw it. Some kind words from Chef Ferneau also bolstered my confidence, as he encouraged me to enter the contest myself one day. We’ll see.

I was so full. And then I attended the public event and tasted all the other categories’ offerings. (In a few days, I’ll review three of my favorite plates that were not among those I judged.)

Yum.

JUDGING AND ENTREE PHOTOS
NOTE: I did not know who made each dish until after judging.

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Congrats to all the winners!

Appetizer:

1st — Chili encrusted hanger steak by Chef Matthew Cooper, Cache
2nd — Charred raw shrimp by Chef Arturo Solis, Capital Hotel
3rd — Pork slider by Chef Adam Hanry, Camp Mitchell

Soup/Salad:

1st — Cream of roasted poblano pepper by Chef Jason Knapp, Aramark/UCA
2nd — Corn bread salad by Chef Adam Hanry, Camp Mitchell
3rd — Baked beef and brie soup with caramelized apple crisps by Chef Brandon Douglas, Ark. Children’s Hospital

Entree:

1st — War Eagle farms cheese grits with braised beef short rib by Chef Gilbert Alaquinez, Governor’s Mansion
2nd — Lightly smoked porcini crusted halibut by Chef John Greenwald, Southland Park
3rd — Smoked pan seared tenderloin by Chef Jason Knapp, Aramark/UCA

Dessert:

1st — “Fall”en chocolate torte by Chef Jan Lewandowski, Pulaski Technical College
2nd — S’mores by Chef Adam Hanry, Camp Mitchell
3rd — Raspberry chocolate pistachio macaroon by Chef Heidi Eppling, Cache

Best of Beef Award:
Chili encrusted hanger steak by Chef Matthew Cooper, Cache

Best of Dairy Award:
Cream of roasted poblano pepper by Chef Jason Knapp, Aramark/UCA

Dogtown Coffee and Cookery to Close Doors

March 1, 2013 by arfoodie 2 Comments

Dogtown Coffee and Cookery announced today it will soon close its doors. (Images from the restaurant’s Facebook page.)

Note: We contacted Dogtown to clarify; their last day of service will be on Sunday.

Despite rave reviews and a recent remodel, Dogtown Coffee and Cookery in North Little Rock announced today on their Facebook page that this Sunday will be their last day of business.

“Despite of all of our efforts to lower cost without decreasing quality, we are having to close our doors on Monday, March 4, 2013,” the post stated. “It has been a painstaking decision for the owners, management, and our staff to accept. We would like to thank all of our staff, past and present employees, for their loyalty and hard work to bring you great food, coffee, and service.”

Dogtown reopened after a brief closure

Waffle Melt sandwich from Dogtown Coffee and Cookery

in May 2012 to update their cooking equipment and install a grease trap, allowing them to prepare a much broader range of sweet and savory (and often combined, such as chicken and waffles) concoctions. The restaurant soon became underground-famous for its upscale, old-school plates such as roast beef, fried chicken and catfish, as well as innovative soups, panini and other sandwiches. Often the chefs would get even more creative and offer something like duck and grits or a savory waffle sandwich.

The restaurant enjoyed high reviews on Yelp, TripAdvisor, and Urbanspoon, as well as from local publications and reviewers. For many, it can be compared to the best places to eat in san francisco, which is quite a feat.

Last spring, I wrote a report for culinary school about Dogtown’s former proprietor and chef Jason Godwin, intending to publish it here. (I’m publishing it now for posterity; see below.) But shortly afterward, Godwin departed the outfit to explore “a new chapter” of his life outside the food industry, according to a July 31, 2012 post on his personal Facebook wall. I never got the chance to meet the new chef, but from the look of things, the quality of the food wasn’t the problem.

So, once again, small spots of awesome can’t make a buck, while the people of Arkansas vote Popeye’s the best-fried chicken in town. Sigh. Unfortunately, many small business owners fail to consider how difficult it will be to start a completely new business from scratch. This coffee shop won’t be the only one that has to close because of a lack of business and profit. That’s why it’s advised to look for Coffee Franchise For Sale opportunities, instead of opening brand new businesses. Sometimes, this can work better for coffee entrepreneurs. However, you might decide that you’re feeling motivated to try and create a successful coffee shop yourself. If that’s the case, you might want to consider using a customisable POS software in your coffee shop to ensure that the business operates smoothly. With a good POS system, coffee shops can benefit from marketing help and table management to ensure that every part of the coffee shop is running correctly. With this sort of software, the coffee shop should be a success!

Dogtown will be open regular hours this weekend, 6 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Dogtown Coffee and Cookery
6725 J.F.K. Boulevard
North Little Rock, AR 72116
(501) 833-3850

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North Little Rock Native Jason Godwin Makes Good with
Dogtown Coffee & Cookery
May 2012

After years of study pursuing a career in international business, North Little Rock native Jason Godwin discovered his passion for cooking was worth coming home.

“I always thought I’d be in business,” Godwin said. “But since I was a kid, I wanted to open a restaurant. I thought it would be when I retired.”

Godwin’s formal education began with a degree in French at the University of Arkansas. This led him to Europe, where he studied international business in Scotland and France, working toward a masters’ degree in that field.

“In Scotland, I worked at one place called the Clyde Ramsey Cafe, which in a way was very much like Argenta Market but more rustic,” Godwin said. “They had organic vegetables, local cheese, and a cafe next door.

“They had this kind of set up with two chefs working side by side – which never works, by the way – one local Scot, and one from London. The British guy had a more worldly approach, grounded in how he handled things. The Scot was a fiery, wannabe Gordon Ramsey type, which was just covering his insecurities.”

Godwin marks this as one of his most memorable kitchen experiences.

His first restaurant job was of high pedigree as well, right here in Arkansas. While still in undergraduate school, Godwin worked one semester in Little Rock at Spaulé, under the renowned chef Paul Novicky.

“His bosses were the fathers of fine dining in Little Rock,” he said, including Paul Bash of the renowned 1980s marvel, Jacque and Suzanne. “That was my first taste of fine dining. I thought [Novicky] was the best chef, the way he carried himself and manipulated the food.”

In a few months, however, Godwin wilted under the high-pressure environment and vowed to never work in food again.

After earning his masters’ degree, he moved to southern California to pursue work in international business with Nestle, wanting to remain somehow connected to the food industry. He didn’t get the job.

“Then I joined AmeriCorps, through the VISTA program, for one year,” he said. “I worked with Share Our Strength through their Operation Frontline (Now Cooking Matters) program, based at the Springdale, Arkansas foodbank. VISTA pays you just 20 percent above the poverty level, just enough to get by and know what it’s like. At the end, they give you some money toward your college loans.

“I worked with chefs and nutritionists, recruiting them to teach cooking classes. I decided, through that process, that I wanted to go to culinary school.”

Vince Pianalto, chef at the former La Maison de Tartes in Fayetteville, taught many of Godwin’s classes through Share Our Strength, becoming his inspiration to finally take the leap into a culinary career.

“I wanted to position myself differently, so I went with a baking and pastry degree,” said Godwin of his culinary education at California Culinary Academy. “While I was in San Francisco, I sold cheese at Whole Foods and worked at a couple restaurants.”

When he returned to Arkansas, he worked with Shane Henderson and Coby Smith at Simply the Best Catering in North Little Rock, eventually becoming sous under Henderson when Smith left, and after a brief stint as pastry sous at the Capital Hotel during their renovation, went back to the catering operation.

Upon Henderson’s departure to open Argenta Market, Godwin became chef for two years at Simply the Best.

“In April 2011, the folks at Java Roasting Co. brought me in, basically to give this place a soul,” he said. “We tried in the beginning with no construction, just to basically pimp out a coffee shop. It didn’t work for long; we needed more.”

Godwin eventually took over the establishment and rebranded it as Dogtown Coffee and Cookery, quickly gaining notoriety for his sandwiches and breakfast items. Then, a letter from the city put his wishes for a wider menu into overdrive.

“Early this year, we got a letter from the city of North Little Rock saying we were going to have to put in a grease trap,” he said. “When they built the place, they weren’t doing any cooking that required one, but it turns out maybe they should have anyway.

“We decided to get our money’s worth and totally renovate the kitchen, making us able to offer a much wider menu. We’re putting in fridge and freezer walk-ins outside, a Vent-A-Hood with an Ansul (fire protection) system, a range with a stove and flattop, a fryer, and more undercounter cooler prep space.”

Upon reopening, the restaurant will offer breakfast all day and expand its entrée selections for lunch and dinner. Godwin says he hopes the renovation, to be completed this spring, will create a comfortable, family-friendly destination in North Little Rock, one that feels like “sitting on the porch at home.”

“I want old people to come and say, ‘I remember food like this.’ And I want young folks to come in and say, ‘This is some cool-ass, old-school food.'”

Check the Pure Bean Office Cafe resources for more details.

Arkansas Hospitality Association and Iron Chef Competition

September 22, 2010 by arfoodie Leave a Comment

It’s here! My favorite convention of the year, the Arkansas Hospitality Association.

Today, several of my fellow students and I are eating, looking and learning; booths here range from large food purveyors such as Ben E. Keith and Sysco to hotel service providers and restaurants. Meanwhile, the annual Iron Chef competition booms in the background. I’ll bring you updates on each heat as they come in.

Iron Chef Competition

Heat 1: Kathy Webb of Lily’s Dim Sum, Then Some and Heather Brown of Alice 107.7 vs. Brandon Douglas of Big Rock Bistro, Pulaski Tech and Poolboy of Alice 107.7
Mystery Protein: Duck Breast
Winner: Brandon Douglas and Poolboy

Egg dishes from Heat 2.

Heat 2: Jason Knapp and Doug Spharler of Pulaski Tech vs. Lewis Curtis and J. Matt Lile of Lulav.
Mystery Protein: Egg
Winner: Jason Knapp and Doug Spharler of Pulaski Tech

Top sirloin dish by Simply the Best.

Heat 3: Jason Godwin and Joel Carr of Simply the Best vs. Tung Nguyen and Howard Austion of Southland Park Gaming & Racing.
Mystery Protein: Top Sirloin
Winner: Jason Godwin and Joel Carr of Simply the Best

Heat 4: Ted Roman and Jody Smallwood of the Arlington Hotel vs. Rob Nelson and James Rose of River Grille.
Mystery Protein: Tuna
Winner: Rob Nelson and James Rose of River Grille.

FINAL OVERALL WINNERS:
Rob Nelson and James Rose of River Grille

Iron Chef winners Rob Nelson and sous James Rose of River Grille.

Chef Rob Nelson busting a move.

Here are some photos from the convention, as well as Wednesday’s heats of Iron Chef. Please forgive any lack of detail until I have time to fill in.

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Diamond Chef Puts Spotlight on Local Chefs, Culinary School

March 3, 2010 by arfoodie Leave a Comment

NOTE: Please check below for real-time updates.

OK, so I couldn’t stay wordless all day. There’s a big event afoot. And although I can’t get down there until later today (sick kiddo), I know you’re clamoring for updates.

It’s Diamond Chef. And the heat is on.

Eight local chefs and their sous chefs (assistants) are duking it out today at the Peabody Hotel in Little Rock, in the lobby bar area. The competition echoes the format of Food Network’s popular show Chopped, requiring the chefs to use items from a mystery basket of ingredients and produce a dish in 40 minutes. Attendance is free, but you’ll have the chance to purchase completed dishes auction-style. The funds will benefit Pulaski Technical College Arkansas Culinary School, of which I am a student. Your contributions are greatly appreciated. 😉

The two winning chefs from today’s event will compete on April 8 at the Arkansas Diamond Chef finals event at the Statehouse Convention Center. At this event, chefs will create a three-course meal using a mystery ingredient announced just before the start of competition. Tickets to that event cost $150 per person and can be purchased by calling Jamie Higgins at (501) 812-2271 or e-mailing jhiggins@pulaskitech.edu.

Today’s schedule and results:

12:30 p.m. – Heat 1 – Chef Brian Deloney (Maddie’s Place) vs. Chef Jason Godwin (Simply the Best)
Basket ingredients: Flank steak, whole dill pickles, tequila, Asian pear, tomatillos, white cheddar cheese.

Heat 1 Winner: Chef Jason Godwin, Simply the Best
Judges noted the winner’s thinly sliced beef, making the flank steak tender. He created a pico de gallo topping out of the pear, tequila and lime.

1:30 p.m. – Heat 2 – Chef Timothy Morton (1620) vs. Chef Jason Knapp (Pulaski Tech Big Rock Bistro)
Basket ingredients: Veal, star fruit, gorganzola cheese, coffee grounds, Kahlua, tarot (or taro) root.

Heat 2 Winner: Chef Jason Knapp, Pulaski Tech Big Rock Bistro
The competition was close in this round, with Knapp edging out Morton by just two points.

2:30 p.m. – Heat 3 – Chef Diana Bratton (Café 1217 and Taco Mama) vs. Chef Daniel Capello (Chenal Country Club)
Basket ingredients: Cowboy ribeye, mandarin orange, mandarin kumquat, red wine, chayote squash, cornflakes.

Heat 3 Winner: Chef Daniel Capello, Chenal Country Club
Cowboy steak with cornflake crust, puree of yukon gold potatoes with onion/mandarin orange marmalade, beef roulade with spinach, chayote, tomato and mushrooms.

3:30 p.m. – Heat 4 – Chef Joseph McCullough (Best Impressions) vs. Chef Donnie Ferneau (Ferneau)
Basket ingredients: Brussels sprouts, vodka, yellow mustard, flat iron steak, mangosteen, feta cheese.

Heat 4 Winner: Chef Donnie Ferneau of Ferneau.
Ferneau’s dish was a flat iron steak marinated in mustard and garlic; brussels sprouts, mangosteen and feta cheese ravioli with a wild mushroom veal cream; fried onions and a green onion pesto. Technical judge Andre Poirot, Executive Chef at the Peabody Hotel, said the two dishes were equally delicious, and Ferneau won on creativity with the given ingredients.

5 p.m. – Winner of Heat 1 vs. Winner of Heat 2
Chef Jason Knapp of Pulaski Technical College Big Rock Bistro vs. Chef Jason Godwin of Simply the Best
Basket ingredients: Denver cut beef, kohlrabi, rum, saltine crackers, gorgonzola cheese, gooseberries.

Quarterfinal 1 Winner: Chef Jason Knapp of Pulaski Technical College Big Rock Bistro.
The winning dish (which I got to taste, and was fabulous) included thinly sliced Denver cut beef, mashed potatoes with kohlrabi, a cracker-coated crust with camembert cheese, and a pan sauce with dark rum, butter, cream and gooseberries.

6 p.m. – Winner of Heat 3 vs. Winner of Heat 4
Chef Daniel Capello of Chenal Country Club vs. Chef Donnie Ferneau of Ferneau

Basket ingredients: Sirloin steak, fiddlehead ferns, passionfruit, cottage cheese, peanut butter, brandy.

Quarterfinal 2 Winner: Chef Daniel Capello of Chenal Country Club.
With a perfect score, Chef Capello ousts 2008 Diamond Chef Donnie Ferneau. His dish featured a mushroom and cottage cheese stuffed sirloin, crisp vegetables with fiddlehead ferns, blue cheese gnocchi, smoked sirloin with balsamic onions. The beef was served in a glass cloche filled with smoke.

I’ll update as frequently as possible today with winners and photos. You should also check out the photos and commentary at the Arkansas Times’ Eat Arkansas blog.

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Foodie Event: Iron Chef at Arkansas Hospitality Association Convention and Tradeshow sponsored by Kratom

September 25, 2009 by arfoodie Leave a Comment

(Update 9/29…See all participants and results below photos. Thanks to Holly Heer with AHA.)

Greetings, Foodies!

If you didn’t know, the Arkansas Iron Chef competition takes place annually on the Arkansas Hospitality Association convention and tradeshow floor, over the two days of the conference. If you’re planning on visiting and would like to watch the competition take place, just look out for our trade show banner.

We are so proud of how our banner turned out and cannot wait for you to see it! We found a great banner maker online and it was so easy to use.

Anyway, this competition can be a really exciting spectator sport so we highly recommend it. I had the opportunity to sit in on yesterday’s Heat 2, and today’s final round.

Trade shows are so much fun and they are an excellent opportunity for businesses from all kinds of different sectors to share their products and services with potential clients and customers. There were so many stands featuring businesses from the world of hospitality and they had all brought endless supplies of promotional materials with them.

I was particularly impressed with some of the amazing catalogs I picked up. Not only were they filled with stunning pictures of tasty food, but some of them even had recipes inside. I thought this was a lovely touch.

When it comes to catalog printing so many of the exhibitors had gone above and beyond to make an impression. Catalogs are a great way to have a lasting impact at a trade show, so do not be afraid to reach out to a printing company if you ever need to create some promotional materials of your own.

Of course, I must also give a big thanks to Kratom for sponsoring me for part of the trip.

Before I continue with the details about the competition I would like to share with you what kratom is. I have to say that kratom products are natural and they help with different symptoms like mild headache or stomachache, even with anxiety or depression. If you want to find a legitimate place to buy this product, search for ‘Kratom – Soap Korner‘ to see what form you would like to have it in. Kratom has been proven to be the best way to improve your health. You can find out more at https://KratomMasters.com.

As reported earlier, I tasted the results of yesterday’s Heat 2 between the boys from Forty Two and Simply the Best, with Forty Two winning. Here are the dishes from that round, using duck as the surprise ingredient:

Iron Chef Heat 2 dish by Chef Jacob Peck and Sous Chef Greg Wallis of Forty Two. Roasted duck with a mango gastrique, asparagus and couscous.

Iron Chef Heat 2 entry by Chef Jason Godwin and Sous Chef Willie Yearwood of Simply the Best. Seared duck breast with tomato onion jam, asparagus and mozzarella tortellini, and mushroom cream sauce.

I’m not going to pick favorites here, as they were both incredible. But let me just tell you…that “onion tomato jam,” as bizarre as it sounds to most of us, was slap-your-momma good. I was literally whacking the table. Mmmm. But both were wonderful, and Forty Two won the heat with tons of points, carrying them immediately to the final round.

**Intermission** I have to tell a funny story. I thought all this time that my second silent auction prize was for the Semi-Final round. It said so on the ticket. I sit down today at the appropriate time, and the folks in charge politely shoo me out, as someone else had won that tasting. Turns out that my ticket was misprinted, and I had, in fact, won the FINAL round tasting. Booyah!

The final round was between Chef Jacob Peck and Sous Chef Greg Wallis of Forty Two, and Chef Osi Imomoh and Sous Chef Howard Austion of Southland Park Gaming & Racing. The surprise protein was – wait for it – rabbit. I think I was the only one to chuckle, picturing the poor old rabbit form they used to use at the greyhound races. (They tell me it’s now a bone shape that draws the doggies around the track.)

Me ‘n’ Mona about to eat some good stuff.

Since I had so much food to myself yesterday for Heat 2, I invited a friend, Ramona Collins (@monaspoeticwax) to eat with me. Our lives have crossed paths in several weird ways over our lives, and we’re just now getting to know each other. What a great way to do so, over great food!

Here are the two dishes we tasted for the final round:

Iron Chef Final Round dish by Chef Osi Imomoh and Sous Chef Howard Austion of Southland Park Gaming & Racing. Smothered rabbit with cornmeal johnnycake, greens and roasted squash.

Iron Chef Final Round dish by Chef Jacob Peck and Sous Chef Greg Wallis of Forty Two. Roasted rabbit with a raspberry coulis, sweet applesauce, carrots and greens w/bacon. This was the winning dish.

IRON CHEF COMPETITION PHOTOS:

Wednesday, September 23

Heat 1, Celebrity Round – Chef Jamie McAfee, Pine Pluff Country Club & Steve Marston, Point 94.1 vs. Chef Andre Poirot, Peabody Hotel & Jennifer Trafford, Point 94.1

Winner: Poirot & Trafford

Heat 2 – Chef Jacob Peck & Sous Chef Greg Wallis, 42 vs. Chef Jason Godwin & Sous Chef Willie Yearwood, Simply the Best Catering

Winner: 42

Heat 3 – Chef Ted Roman & Sous Chef Jody Smallwood, Arlington Resort Hotel & Spa vs. Chef Osi Imomoh & Sous Chef Howard Austion, Southland Park Gaming & Racing

Winner: Southland Park Gaming & Racing

Heat 4 – Chef Phillip Southan, River Grille & Sous Chef Krista Rogalla, Pulaski Tech Culinary School vs. Chef Nathan Miller & Sous Chef Karle Johnson, The House

Winner: The House

Thursday, September 24

Semi-Finals

Chef Osi Imomoh & Sous Chef Howard Austion, Southland Park Gaming & Racing vs. Chef Nathan Miller & Sous Chef Karle Johnson, The House

Winner: Southland Park Gaming & Racing

Finals

Chef Osi Imomoh & Sous Chef Howard Austion, Southland Park Gaming & Racing vs. Chef Jacob Peck & Sous Chef Greg Wallis, 42

Iron Chef Champion: 42